The Apprentice
by fleurety
Summary: Howl's new apprentice's birhtday has just come up and her birthday present includes: binding obligation spells, proposals, Sophie, and Turnip Head? Warning: may be a little OOC, I'm trying to keep them in character...


**The Apprentice**

"Howl, are you awake?" a timid voice said through the wooden door.

No answer came.

"Howl!" the voice inquired again, this time with a little more confidence.

Still no answer.

"Howl! I'm coming in!" said the voice, this time the speaker sounding more determined, as they pushed open the door to Howl's bedroom.

Silence met the intruder, as she stepped through the doorway and into the room, slowly closing the door behind her. "Howl! I know your in here! You'd better come out! You promised! Remember!"

Quiet and the rustle of the silk curtains as the wind blew in through the window met the accusation.

"Don't make me go get Sophie! You know that I don't like depending on her, but I will if you force me to!" she narrowed her oddly colored ruby eyes and scanned the room slowly, taking in every detail of Howl's room. Her eyes passed over the bed, the desk and chair, the shelve of spell books in the corner, then on a stool near the large mirror; opposite of the bookshelf. Then she turned around and headed for the door, raising her hand to open grab the handle, she whirled quickly around, causing her long, slightly wavy, raven black hair to whip out behind her. Her hand still raised, she stopped moving when she was glaring right at the stool, passed her hand over it, transformed energy into a revealing spell, and threw it at the stool's cushiony top.

Immediately Howl's head appeared where the cushion used to be and soon the rest of his body followed. "No fair! I thought I had you fooled! You shouldn't trick people like that!" Howl said sounding like a defeated 10 year old.

"Well you shouldn't try to break promises, so I think that makes us about even." the 13 year old said haughtily.

Howl didn't answer, just scowled and turned away, so that she was looking at the back of his head.

"Oh all right! If it makes you feel any better, you did almost get me, but then I remembered how vain you are, and the stool was really close to the mirror. So I decided to go for it, and guess what? It worked!" she said beaming triumphantly.

"Basically you took a wild guess and got lucky!" Howl corrected, as he gave her a scathing look from over his shoulder.

"Jeez if you have to be all nit picky!" she said with resent clearly etched across her face.

"Ha, so you admit that the only reason you found me was because you were lucky!" Howl said cheerfully, clearly mistaking her resentment for defeat, or just ignoring her attempt to save her dignity.

"Oh just shut up!" she said annoyed, "And we're getting off subject! You can't have forgotten what day it is today, right?" she said looking suspiciously at him.

Howl fidgeted a little started to look around him for an escape route, while all the time stuttering that he had no idea what she was talking about. "I have no idea what you're talking about, really!" he said as he tried to edge away from her towards the door.

But she stopped him as he was trying to get past her. "It's my birthday Howl! And you promised me!" she said glaring angrily at Howl as he yet again tried to get past her.

"I know Tsukiko, I know its your birthday! Alright? Happy? I also know that I promised...but..." Howl trailed off as he tried to come up with a reasonable excuse, and still trying to get out of there.

"Yes, you promised me that you would teach me any spell and that I could tell you to do anything I wanted. You promised me those for my birthday present." she said pulling out a parchment that she had cast a spell on just incase he wanted to back out, just like he was doing now.

"You cast an 'Obligations Fulfilled' spell!" he asked incredulously looking down at the parchment that she had shoved into his hands. "But the only way to get rid of one of these spells is to do what it asks of you! And until then it will seal my magic! How did you manage to cast this spell anyways! You would have needed my consent and verification that I would do the task asked of me!"

"Yes I cast one, andI did it when I asked you about my birthday present. Nowthat we've got that aside!" she smiled brilliantly nearly radiating light from her body, "The spell that I want you to teach me, is how to transform into my animal form!" she said in a very commanding tone.

Finally giving up on escaping and collapsing on top of his bed in defeat. "Oh fine, you win! I'll teach you but you weren't supposed to learn that until you had finished at least 3 more years of training!" he sighed exasperated, still not moving just staring at the ceiling begrudgingly.

"But before that! I have something more important that I want you to do first!" she said happily as she sat down on a chair. "I want you to get over your fear and propose to Sophie." she stated plainly and in such a carefree tone that it took a while for it to actually register in Howl's brain. Then another second for him to react, which he did beautifully.

"WHAT!" Howl shouted as his body flung itself upwards so that Howl's entrancing but at the time horrified eyes could be level with Tsukiko's ruby ones.

"You heard me Howl." she said as she looked steadily back at him. Then in a more accusing tone, "I've been your apprentice for a year now, and it doesn't take a genius to see that to love each other very much, I mean the first time I ever met Sophie was when you were kissing her, it honestly looked like you were trying to eat her or something. Anyways like I said before, I want you to propose to her!" she said matter of factly.

"But you don't understand!" Howl said frantically trying to regain composure. "Sophie is the Prince's true love! I couldn't...and she probably..." as Howl continued on his incoherent rambling, he slowly became depressed. And his final conclusion was "It's just impossible..."

"Ah, I see, so it's because of this 'Prince' that you have been unable to ask Sophie to get married yet?...Hmm..." Tsukiko's eyes glazed over and she seemed to have zoned out, but a few seconds later, she blinked stood up and went to the door and stepped outside into the hallway, and leaving the depressed Howl to his own thoughts she closed the door.

...Later after Howl had cheered up enough to come out of his room...

"Oh hi Howl!"said Markle as Howl walked down the staircase and into the kitchen.

"Hello Markle." Howl said in his usual manor, although he didn't feel quite back to his old self. Then as if just realizing, "Markle where's everyone else?"

"Oh Sophie went to tend the flower shop, the Witch and Hein are on the backyard balcony." Markle said as he was reading one of the apprentice spell books he had been given for Christmas.

"And what of Tsukiko?" Howl asked as he grabbed a spell book from a nearby bookshelf and made himself a cup of coffee.

"Oh I'm not really sure, said something about going out on an important mission." Markle said shrugging.

"Oh, did she say when she would be back?" asked Howl as he began to walk past Markle towards the backyard balcony that had the world's greatest view, since the castle could now fly.

"No, but she did mention Turnip Head..." Markle said as he poured a glass of water for himself.

'CRASH'

Markleturned around to look at what had made the noise, and saw Howl frozen with a horrified expression plastered on his face.

Moments later there was a knock on the magical door. Calcifer shouted "Kingsbury door!"

This snapped Markle back into action, as he donned his disquise as an old wizard, he shouted gruffly "Stand back please!" and with that he grabbed the doornob and opened the door. He was then attacked by a very familiar looking witch who wasnone other than...Tsukiko.

"Hi everyone! I'm back! And I brought a few friends!" she said beaming at Howl.

((A/N: Um I know that everyone probably thinks that I shouldn't have added in another character, but I needed someone to play matchmaker, since Markle(sp?) was too young and the Witch of the Wastes was senile, and Hein(sp?) well he can't really talk, just weez...so please don't hate me! And please review! Flames are accepted, I need criticism...it will help me improve...))


End file.
